ForwardLA: What Good Jobs and Fair Wages Mean for Green Dot Families and Students
On December 2nd, United Parents and Students hosted a summit on issues facing our communities in Los Angeles facing Green Dot parents and students. This series will explore the focus areas of ForwardLA: A Day of Justice.
When Green Dot students grow up, they want to become astronauts, doctors, teachers, or even the next President of the United States. We are more than simply invested in our students’ futures; we actively help them turn these aspirations into reality–however, across the communities Green Dot serves, many families struggle to find fair-wage jobs.
Together with United Parents and Students (UPAS), we are addressing issues of income inequality and low wages that hold back families, from upward mobility and equal opportunities for success. Good jobs lie at the intersection of many other issues that affect quality of life for local families: without good jobs, it is difficult for parents to provide their children with healthy food options, books and other resources, or a permanent place to call home. The city’s population is increasing, rent rates and property values are skyrocketing, and somehow, our most underserved residents are expected to either keep up, or be pushed out so the next high-paying resident or business can take their place. A stable, fair-paying job has implications far beyond just a paycheck–it makes a difference for parents trying to give their children a healthy, happy life and support them in all they do, including school. Keep in mind minimum wage only pays $12 an hour; Green Dot makes this our own responsibility and we pay a living wage of at least $15 an hour for every role.
Keep in mind minimum wage only pays $12 an hour; Green Dot makes this our own responsibility and we pay a living wage of at least $15 an hour for every role.
Los Angeles County needs stable jobs and good wages because parents and students who work deserve fair pay for all their time and efforts. Increasing stable, fair-paying jobs will help more families support their children at home and in school. At Green Dot, we can continue serving as a bridge between our students and the professional world by giving them resources and tools to help them succeed in college and in life. The issue of inequitable jobs and low wages, however, requires diving deeper than just increasing and developing resources for our students. UPAS’s ForwardLA event on December 2nd was designed to harness the power of the people to demand good jobs, equitable wages, and stability for our most underserved communities by speaking truth to power to the many elected officials in attendance.
Together with UPAS, Green Dot hopes to continue co-laboring with parents so that they can better support their children and enable them to lead successful lives, breaking the cycles of poverty that barricade historically underserved communities from long-term success.